07.11.11

Houston, July 11, 2011 — Law firm Winstead PC has officially hired the 39th lateral attorney for 2011, surpassing their Texas lateral hiring total from 2010 by 18 lateral hires already, and the firm isn't finished hiring yet. This week, Winstead welcomes shareholders Jay W. Brown, Hilary C. Borow, and Steve Wedemeyer to the commercial litigation practice group. The three shareholders were previously with Beirne, Maynard and Parsons, L.L.P, and are joined by eight associates and eight support staff.

"We are very pleased that Jay and his team have joined Winstead," said Houston Managing Shareholder Tom Forestier. "Jay is a leading attorney in insurance litigation and Hilary and Steve are well known for their exceptional insurance litigation skills. They make a great addition to our Houston Office."

Brown has been named a leading insurance lawyer in Chambers USA since 2006. He has an impressive record of jury verdicts and judgments in a variety of industries and is highly regarded in the legal community as an insurance specialist, and handles contract disputes, wrongful death, energy, civil rights, toxic tort, and catastrophic accident cases, among others. Brown is board certified in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law, by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been frequently honored by Texas Super Lawyers.

Borow represents clients in complex commercial disputes, personal injury, and maritime matters, among others. Her practice focuses on a variety of insurance coverage disputes and she has successfully represented clients involving property, professional liability and insurance bad faith. Borow frequently presents and writes on topics related to insurance law. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association, American Inns of Court and she is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Wedemeyer has successfully represented clients in disputes involving construction, insurance bad faith, products liability, energy, intellectual property, toxic tort, wrongful death, and other cases. Named a Texas Rising Star, Wedemeyer is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association, and the Houston Young Lawyers Association.

According to Winstead's CEO and Chairman Kevin Sullivan, "Winstead has been on an aggressive lateral hiring path over the last couple of years and I am very proud of all the new attorneys that have joined our team during that period. Our regional characteristic, rate structure, culture and environment add up to an overall atmosphere that has proved to be very attractive to lateral candidates. In addition to all of the efforts by our recruiting team--which have been substantial--I am also very proud of our efforts in integrating this large number of new Winstead attorneys into our firm and culture."

Winstead's lateral hiring team is led by Peyton Smith, a labor and employment shareholder based in Austin, who took over firm-wide leadership of the lateral hiring program last November. Smith works with a team of shareholders in each Winstead Office, to identify and recruit potential laterals. Under Smith's leadership and through his partnership with Sullivan and a team of city lateral hiring shareholders, Winstead has successfully recruited larger groups of attorneys to Winstead this year, including Jeff King and his energy practice group in Fort Worth, Bob Burton and his real estate practice group in Austin and Houston, and now Jay Brown and his commercial litigation practice group in Houston.

According to Smith, "We are thrilled with the high success rate of our collective efforts this first six months of 2011 and the exceptional attorneys who are joining the Winstead team. Our city lateral hiring team shareholders are in high gear and we've enjoyed a proven record of identifying exceptional attorneys with strong books of business who work hard, are hungry for our team-oriented culture, and know that joining Winstead will give them the supportive platform and collaborative culture to better service their clients and take their practice to the next level."

Winstead is among the largest business law firms in Texas. Winstead attorneys and consultants serve as trusted advisors to mid-market and large businesses, providing a core range of legal services that are critical to their operation and success. From its well-known reputation in real estate and financial services to its corporate and high-stakes litigation practice, to its noteworthy growth and expansion of its energy and environmental practice, Winstead delivers practical knowledge and efficient, responsive service that always keeps our clients goals and interests as our focus. And it's all backed by a get-it-done attitude. Winstead has offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and The Woodlands, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington, D.C. For detailed information about Winstead, visit www.winstead.com.

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